**Hi guys, sorry about the late post. I'm headed out of the country and I might not have internet for a bit, but I couldn't leave without posting the last chapter of Kings and Thieves :) enjoy.**

Chapter 45

Before either of them could react, Lyla rushed forward with - "The position would be however as long as you want it. You could be ambassadors to the Queen! You two are so well-travelled, and since you know so much about the other kingdoms, I told her I thought you'd make great emissaries..." She let her words fade, staring at the two of them as if she was trying to decipher their expressions and was failing.

Ari had no idea how to respond. He glanced at Aveline, who looked as flummoxed as he felt.

"Lyla... I don't understand," he said when he was sure she was finished. "Are you sure the Queen said this? For certain?"

"She can't mean that, Lyla," Aveline added. "I mean... to be perfectly honest with you, I think I still have things on the ship that I stole from this palace."

Lyla wasn't about to give up. "I was as surprised as you were, but haven't you worked with her before?"
"Yes, but that was a long time ago, and she was in a desperate situation. I was sure the Queen didn't trust us, and for good reason," said Ari.

"But then you rescued her son. I just... " Lyla idly flipped one of the petals of a cactus flower between her fingers. "Look, I know this is sudden, and it might not even be what you want. And I understand if you turn it down, because you'd be giving up your life for a little while, and I understand-"

"Lyla," interrupted Aveline, in the gentle way she always did. "It's alright."

Lyla dipped her head, and focused her attention on the seams of her dress while Ari glanced at Aveline. She gave the barest of shrugs.

"We'll think on it, yes?" Ari proposed. "This is a big decision, surely."

Lyla eagerly lifted her head back up. "Of course. Take all the time you need."

Her obvious excitement at the possibility of them staying was flattering and somewhat endearing. Ari hesitated to turn her down, and Aveline likely felt the same.
But inside, Ari's head was reeling. Live in Apreuna? But it was so... dry.

And what about his crew? And- he wasn't a royal, he was just Ari. A pirate captain, through and through. He hadn't lived within the law in... well, ever.

"Where would you be in all of this?" Aveline was saying.

"Oh, I don't know," Lyla dithered, shaking her head. "Suzie offered me a rather promising position in her thriving business."

Aveline's eyes sparkled. "Was that a joke, Lyla?"

"I do that sometimes." Lyla laughed. "But in all seriousness, Ari, Aveline, you could live here. In the palace. With me! We could stay together." Then she sobered and stared at them seriously. "You're both my friends now. I don't know what I'd do here without you."
Ari nearly groaned, though he knew Lyla didn't mean to give them a guilt trip.

Aveline, clearly flustered, chewed on her lower lip. "Well... we'll need to talk to Inez..."

"That's completely fine. She could live here too! And the children! We could have so much fun!" After a pause, Lyla reined in her enthusiasm. "But I'll let you both think about it. Of course."

"Of course," Ari echoed confidently, though he had no idea what he was supposed to do.

He was saved from having to elaborate by Simon, who poked his head around the corner.

"Not to interrupt the friendly bonding, but you left that bratty Viscount on my ship, and I assume the Queen wanted to deal with him? Plus, I don't really want to take him with me, so..."

"Right." Smoothing his hands over his knees, Ari stood up. He'd almost forgotten about the Viscount-

almost.

Eli and Jamie accompanied them back to the docks as Simon went in to fetch their prisoner, leaving the rest of them to stand awkwardly in a circle and attempt to muster their goodbyes.

Ari tried to summon up a cheerier face. They'd completed their task successfully. Tristran and Ben were going to be together. Lyla's mother had accepted her back with open arms. He, Aveline and the crew would get paid handsomely, with the possibility of a new job.

So why did he still feel like he'd lost?

"So." Aveline was doing a good job at ignoring the elephant in the room, a curl spilling over her shoulder as she leaned towards Jamie. "Tristran and Ben are getting married. What does that mean for you?"

"For now, I just need to get my bearings." Jamie tiredly rubbed her forehead with the heel of her palm. "Ben, Tristran, and I are going back to Diviel to work everything out with my cousins. We'll find them suitable living situations; no more living in a run-down monastery. You know, help them back on their feet."

"Yes, well, you'll have to give Ayka- and the rest your cousins- our thanks."

"I will."

"And then?" Aveline prompted. "Is it true? Are you moving into the palace with Ben and Tristran?"

"I guess so."

"My goodness!" Aveline's face dissolved into mischief as she bumped Jamie's shoulder with her own. "You're going to have to learn to be a lady!"

"I need some time away first." Jamie sighed. "What my relatives did was horrible. I just... I need to figure some things out on my own."

Aveline nodded sympathetically. "We understand."

Ari kept silent, which he figured added to the overall discomfiture, but he had nothing useful to contribute.

"What about you, Eli?" Lyla prompted, happily oblivious to the underlying tension. "Are you ready to go back to Kaidia?"

"I am," he responded eagerly. "I've already received word from the palace; I'm to receive a large reward, and my father is eager for me to return home. I'm quite optimistic."

"Well, we'll miss you. You really must visit sometime."
Eli's eyes darted to Aveline and then away, quickly, but Ari didn't miss it. "I will."

Jamie said nothing to Ari. She didn't need to; her angry glances spoke volumes.

Something she'd said kept ringing in his head.

You're toxic.

She didn't know how right she was.

Aveline and Lyla both hugged Jamie goodbye, leaving Eli and Ari to stand there awkwardly. Finally Ari stuck out his hand, and after a second, Eli took it.

"I never liked you," Ari began, staring steadily at the other boy.

Eli waited. "And?"

"And, what?" Ari snapped. "That's all I wanted to say."

Finally Jamie and Eli walked away in separate directions, bags in hand, and Ari felt a twinge of something as he, Aveline, and Lyla watched them go.

--

"We'll be seeing them again, you know," Ari remarked.

Aveline pursed her lips, finally allowing her bubbly mask to dissipate into the dry air. "I know."

Lyla- bless her- was too polite to ask any questions. Which was good; Aveline really didn't feel like explaining herself right now. She was still stinging from Eli's rejection; not that she'd care to admit it.

Simon appeared then, thankfully, before Aveline's distress could grow, or before Ari could take his frustration out on something else. Simon was dragging a gagged Remington by one sleeve, allowing the Viscount's head to thud none-too-gently on each stair as they plodded down the ship.

"Look who it is!" Aveline exclaimed warmly, meeting the Viscount's violent glare as he seethed at them through his bonds. "Our favorite person."

"I've rather missed him," Ari agreed.

Simon finally dropped the body on the ground and rubbed his hands together.

"Well, I'll be seeing you," he said uncomfortably.

"Thank you." Ari actually sounded like he meant it.

"It's been lovely working with you, Simon!" Aveline piped up.

Simon gave them a little two-fingered salute before disappearing back on his ship.

"He turned out alright, didn't he?" said Lyla.

Aveline felt her mouth tug upwards. "Yes, I suppose he did."

They gained more stares from Apreuna townspeople as they went back, but Aveline was too tired to care. It felt as if something was ending and beginning all at the same time, and she and Ari still had a big decision to make.

When they went back to the throne room, Tristran was still speaking with the Queen— Aveline supposed they had a lot to talk about. Lyla's mother was there, too, likely waiting for Lyla's return.

Tristran sharply inhaled as he caught sight of their prisoner. The Queen looked startled, too; but she took it in stride, waving her guards down.

"Oh," said Ari in greeting, dumping the Viscount's dirty body onto the pristine marble. "Here."

The Grand Duchess climbed to her feet. "Lyla, why don't we find something presentable for you to put on?"

Lyla bowed her head. "Yes, mother." She cast a backward glance to them as she left, a touch of exasperation in the curve of her mouth. Aveline wondered how the Grand Duchess would have reacted if she had seen Lyla's trousers and had to suppress a building giggle.

"So it's true." Rowena's hand dropped from her mouth as soon as Lyla disappeared with her mother, and she lifted her chin. "You're a traitor."

Viscount Remington couldn't have said anything had he wanted to, but it was nice to watch the sugar-tongued royal speechless.

"You delivered my son into the hands of enemies. Because of you, a mentor and guardian who he should have been able to trust, he suffered months of imprisonment and abuse." The Queen's voice, which had raised with her speech, suddenly dropped. "I have nothing more to say to you."

At a quick flick of her fingers, the Viscount was pounced upon by two of the throne room guards. He maintained his dignity as they hauled him away, forgoing the usual kicking and screaming that Aveline was accustomed to seeing with captives. Aveline was not sorry to see him go.

"If I may ask, Your Majesty," Aveline began, respectfully, "What will happen to him?"

The Queen's sharp eyes honed in on her. They were unreadable. "Execution."

Aveline shot a swift glance to Ari, whose expression mirrored hers, and Rowena tilted her head. "You disagree?"

Aveline hesitated, before settling on- "For him? I'd have chosen worse."

The Queen nodded once and let it drop. "What is the status on the Hapsburgs?"

"The ones involved are dead," Ari reported. "I understand Ben and Jamie are going back to verify this."

"Good." Queen Rowena straightened and suddenly looked almost uncomfortable. "I understand that... I know this whole incident could have been prevented if I had taken heed to Benjamin's warning-"

"It isn't your fault, mother," Prince Tristran interjected, but the Queen softly raised her hand to stop him.

"But, you must understand, Tristran had run away so many times, and my monarchy as ruler of a small kingdom isn't always taken seriously..." she trailed off, and Aveline wondered why the Queen felt as if she had to explain herself to them.

"I thought you should know," Rowena continued, "if you to decide to take the offer which I assume my niece has already relayed to you."

Aveline weighed her answer heavily before continuing. "We will need to think on it, Your Majesty."

"Very well."

Aveline felt it was her cue to leave, deciding to give Rowena and Tristran some privacy, and she and Ari backed away.

Tristran offered her a smile before she left- it was tentative and unpracticed, but made his face much handsomer.

Instead of going directly back to the ship to inform the crew of the new developments, Ari and Aveline took a brief detour to sit on a quiet part of the shore by the docks.

Aveline sat down with a sigh, crossing her legs on the sand and allowing herself to relax. The horizon was promising and endless, contrasted by the barren, cactus-dotted shoreline.

Aveline squinted at the flat, beige earth below her. Could she live here, even if just for a little while?

Ari voiced her thoughts. "So, Apreuna." He cleared his throat. "We're doing this?"

"I suppose we'd be stupid not to," she admitted after a pause. "I'm a bit nervous."

"I am too. But we'll be fine."

"Yes, well- we always are."

Aveline studied her palms as they lay in her lap as if to memorize the lines in her fingers. They sat in companionable silence, joined by the waves that drifted up to grab at their feet.

"I really liked this one," Aveline said eventually, finally letting what was really bothering her press into her for a moment.

"I know. I'm sorry." Regret colored Ari's tone as he curled his toes in the sand. "Somehow it always end up this way, doesn't it?"

Aveline looked at him, briefly distracted by her wistful thoughts of Eli. "What?"

Ari paused. "Both of us, alone?"

Aveline felt her brows knit at that. "You're not alone, Ari."

She felt Ari's gaze on her as she raised her eyes to watch a distant ship bob on the waves, admiring the focal point against the blue. The vessel blinked into a small dot, and then it was gone.

When Aveline finally turned to look at her friend, seriousness had passed over his features. A warm pressure settled on her skin as Ari gently placed his hand on hers.

"You're my best friend, you know," he said solemnly.

"Obviously." Aveline smirked, pulling her lips up on one side, and Ari's answering laugh was exasperated as he shook his head.

"I'm serious. I can't lose you."

"You wouldn't," she assured him, twisting her palm upwards to squeeze his hand. "You won't."

His smile was quick and artless, as familiar to her as her own reflection, and as she saw it Aveline felt relief loosen in her chest.

The sun was setting, then, and they both turned to watch the burst of color as it dipped behind the mountains, releasing a fire of purple and orange and pink while the day slipped into the evening.

Finally Ari stood up and pulled Aveline to her feet. Gratitude lingered in his expression as he leaned forward to plant a soft kiss on her cheek.

"Let's go find Lyla, yes?"

She smiled. "Fine by me."

Then they walked back to the palace, together.

--

Lyla flattened her hand over the skirt of her pale blue gown, taking care not to move her left wrist as she faced her looking glass, back in her room.

It was so strange to be back, she couldn't get over it. It felt similar, but different at the same time.

And they'd done it, she reminded herself giddily as she twisted her hair up into a bun. Not without bumps in the road, but they'd done it. She'd survived. And she felt... good. Keyed up, overwhelmed, but good.

Gazing at herself in the mirror, Lyla wasn't surprised to see that her skin had darkened a shade. Not quite enough to haul her out of the 'pale' variety, but at least she didn't look like a ghost.

She was surprised, however, to find a remote suppleness in her arms that hadn't been there before. Lyla curiously poked her bicep with a finger. Yes, that was definite muscle tone. From Ari and Aveline's chores, no doubt.

"You look lovely," her mother said from the doorway. Lyla let her hand fall back to her side.

"Thank you."
She wasn't sure how to act around the Grand Duchess now. They'd barely managed to exchange a few words while Tristran and Ben spoke with the Queen, and Lyla knew something was going to change, but she wasn't sure what yet.

"You shouldn't have run away," her mother added. "You could have gotten hurt."

"But I didn't." This was something Lyla had surely feared at the beginning, but now she wanted to laugh at the thought of Aveline and Ari hurting her, willingly or otherwise.

"I know the pirates completed their task successfully, and they were helpful, but..." The Grand Duchess let her words taper off.

Lyla frowned. "Ari and Aveline aren't who everyone says they are."

"I know. Still." Her mother fixed her with a familiar stern stare, but at least she wasn't ordering Lyla around. Perhaps she was finally beginning to treat her as an adult. "Be careful, Lyla."

"Right."

"I'm proud of you, you know."

That got Lyla's attention; but before she could react, a vivacious voice floated into the periphery of the hall.

"Pardon me, sorry! Is Lyla in here?" It was Aveline, sidling past the Grand Duchess with no apparent heed to the distrustful gaze that was fastened on her. "Ah, there you are! Ari and I were looking for you."

"Of course." Lyla's mother sucked in a tight breath. "I'll let you two talk."
"Good evening, mother."
"Good evening!" Aveline chirped.

The Grand Duchess backed away, still warily watching Aveline as if she was a bizarre foreign object.

"You look... back to normal," Aveline noted as soon as her mother had left. "Ari's in the hall. He didn't want to intrude in case you were indecent."

"Intruding now." Ari's head popped up behind Aveline's shoulder, on cue. Lyla had imagined he would have been tired from his injury.

Ari didn't look tired. He looked annoyed. But that was how he always looked.

"How's your wrist?"
"It aches a bit," Lyla admitted. "How's your side?"
"Fantastic." He flashed her a grin. "Not my first bullet wound, princess."

"And it won't be his last, either, at the rate he's going," Aveline chimed in. "We can fix you up on the ship if you'd like, Lyla."

"That'd be great, thanks."

They passed a few courtiers that Lyla recognized as they traveled back down the hall.

"Lady Quincy," one of them greeted- Lord Mattias, a boy around her age, his eyes wide as he regarded her companions. "How are you?"
Lyla had no idea how to respond. She never talked to these people. "Uh... very well, thank you."

"We'll wait for you outside the palace, Lyla." Aveline skipped ahead with Ari, muttering something about being hungry, and Lyla faced her acquaintances.

"We heard you ran away," Lady Clarette, a raven-haired with beauty, spoke up eagerly beside Mattias. "And saved Prince Tristran. The whole kingdom is talking about it!"

"Yes well..." Lyla awkwardly cleared her throat. "I had help."

Lots of it. But if the nobles wanted to think of Lyla as a fearless heroine, she'd let them. They'd never paid her a second glance before. It was sort of flattering and annoying at the same time.

"Right." Lord Mattias rocked backwards on his heels. "You have pretty friends, Lyla."

Lyla wrinkled her nose. "I suppose."

"Is it true?" Clarette broke in impatiently. "Are they pirates?"

Lyla could barely maintain her patience. "Yes, they are," she replied acidly, sweeping past them with her chin lifted. "Excuse me, but I have to go."

She felt the eyes of the nobles hot on her back as she airily glided away, and something inside her squirmed with stupid delight. It felt so liberating to no longer care about what these people thought.

The light feeling stayed with her as Ari and Aveline walked her back to the ship, still chattering about supper.

Ari went to go talk to Inez while Aveline sat Lyla down on one of the benches on the deck.

"Well, with the extra money, we'll definitely be able to fix up all of the holes Silver made in the ship," Aveline began, and Lyla giggled.

"Look," Her friend said after a moment, fidgeting with a loose thread on her skirt, "I don't know how much Ari has told you about the children, but we didn't exactly pick them up from safe circumstances."

Lyla wasn't surprised. "I figured as much."
"Inez and Henry's job over the last few months has been to watch over them, make sure they're out of sight from by those who would wish to harm them. I worry, that if they live in the palace-"

"I told you, Aveline; Inez and Henry can come live here too, if they'd like."
Aveline hesitated. "Really?"

"Of course. The Queen's invitation was extended to everyone aboard. Besides, I'd miss their company, anyway."

"Are you sure about this, Lyla? I mean, Ari and I have lived less... properly for a long time. We're not exactly used to palace manners."

"Well, you'll never know unless you try, right?" Lyla paused, staring at the floor- she almost didn't want to hear the response for fear that it would be negative. "Please?"

She felt a soft hand on her arm and reluctantly met Aveline's gaze.

"You already know we will."

Lyla couldn't help it; she beamed.

Ari returned, then, his boots plodding leisurely into the deck.

He stuck his thumbs through his belt loops. "I told Inez."

"Good." Aveline waved him over. "Come help me with Lyla's wrist."

Ari squatted next to Lyla, picking up her arm and studying it with a level gaze. "Has the palace physician looked at this yet?"

"No. Everything was too hectic."

"Hm."

"I've been on the receiving end of a lot of attention since I've been back," Lyla declared, crossing her legs at the ankles. "From people who wouldn't even look at me before, no less."

"People are fickle," Ari murmured, dropping her wrist. Aveline clicked her tongue disapprovingly.

"Tell me about it. There's a fresh bandage under the trundle."

"No there's not, I checked."

"Other side, halfwit." Aveline crossed to his left side and produced a stack of white gauze from underneath his bench. She wordlessly knelt beside Lyla and peered at her wrist.

"So, Lyla," she spoke through a mouthful of cloth as she tore it with her teeth, "it appears we are in your debt."

Lyla blinked. "It was nothing-"

Aveline made a huffing sound that reminded Lyla how fruitless it was to argue with her. She returned her gaze to the sea, where the waves remained endless and ever-moving in their undulating currents.

"You know what I've been thinking about?" Ari remarked suddenly.

"What?"

"Well, with the marriage, Ben will be included into the royal family, and Jamie too, by extension." He lifted a shoulder. "I suppose, despite everything, the Hapsburgs sort of got everything they wanted."

He was, in a way, right, Lyla realized with surprise. The Hapsburg bloodline had intermixed with royalty after all. It was a strange, ironic sort of thought.

"That isn't very upbeat, Ari," Aveline scolded. "That's alright. There are worse people out there than the Hapsburgs."

Lyla felt a light shiver down her spine.
"You've said that before. What do you mean?"

She and Ari exchanged glances, almost too quickly to be noticed, and Aveline patted her arm. "You're done."

"Oh!" Lyla peered at her freshly bound wrist and wondered if Aveline wasn't intending to reply. "Thank you."

When she spoke again, Aveline's voice was uneven.
"What I meant was, the Detache isn't the tropical paradise that everyone pretends it is. There are bad people, and if you saw some of what's happening here our petty thievery would seem like a public service." Her voice, snapping and on edge, quieted. "I'm sorry, Lyla."

"It's alright." Her voice was faint.

"No, it's... I'm sorry. I'm just nervous." Her hands flew to her hair, tangling against her scalp. "Are you sure we'll fit in here?"

Lyla fell silent. Partly because Aveline's words had sort of frightened her, and partly because the answer was a big fat no.

Finally she took a breath.
"No." She wriggled the fingers on her injured wrist until Aveline took her hand, and reached for Ari with the other one. He let her. "But to be honest? I think that's just what Apreuna needs." Giving them a rueful smile, she added, "it's what I needed, anyway." She watched the faces of her companions soften in front of her, and felt something inside of her chest click into place.

After a moment, Lyla stood up, still holding onto their hands. "Now come on; I'll show you around the island. I know I complain about it all the time, but it's really lovely; when you care to look."

"Most things are," Aveline commented in a light voice, and Lyla grinned.

"Let's go— I want to show you the cliffs."

The sky softened into a rich azure, peppered with flecks of stars, as the three of them rushed off of the ship and onto the graying sand. Their silhouettes deepened black against the evening, then finally seemed to disappear in a spark into the parched desert island.

And then the sky was dark in the Detache; just as it should be.

End of Book One